Phylogeny of the desert darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae) and its implications for biogeography and taxonomy within the subfamily

On-Demand

Presenting Author(s)

AS

Aaron D. Smith

Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana

Co-Author(s)

Marcin Kaminski

Museum and Institute of Zoology - Polish Academy of Sciences
Warsaw, Indiana
KK

Kojun Kanda

USDA-ARS Systematic Entomolog Lab
Washington, District of Columbia
Olivia M. Gearner

Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana
Kali L. Swichtenberg (she/her/hers)

Arizona State University
Peoria, Arizona
Christopher C. Wirth

Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana
RL

Ryan Lumen

Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana

The desert darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae) are a species-rich (~8,000 sp.) lineage of beetles primarily found in xeric habitats around the world. Thirty-eight tribes are currently recognized within the subfamily. Some tribes (ex. Asidini and Cnemeplatiini) are widespread on multiple continents, while others are restricted to limited geographic regions (ex. Cryptochilini and Nyctoporini), or exhibit disjunct distributions across continents (ex. Elenophorini and Caenocrypticini). A phylogeny for the subfamily was reconstructed using targeted enrichment sequencing with representatives from most of the known tribes. The resulting topology is discussed with reference to its implications for the taxonomic stability of the subfamily and tribes, as well as our understanding of the historical biogeography of the group.